Zirojević for NAP: Resolution on crimes against Palestine soon before the Parliament of Montenegro, the Government is overdoing it with sedatives!

(Patria) - Member of the Parliament of Montenegro and member of the Presidency of the Social Democrats, Nikola Zirojević, submitted a Resolution on the condemnation of Israel's crimes in Palestine to the parliamentary procedure on March 18 this year, which most strongly condemns the indiscriminate bombing of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Interestingly, although there are also Bosniaks (religious Muslims) in the Parliament of Montenegro, Zirojević remained alone in his extremely humane move, raising his voice against the killing of innocent people, not only Palestinians, but also innocent Israelis who have perished.

In an interview with the Patria Agency, Zirojević talks about what the Resolution contains, to whom he offered cooperation in submitting the Resolution, whether he received support, and how the current government reacted to the proposal he submitted.

Interview by: Rasim Belko

Patria: What does the Resolution on the condemnation of Israel's crimes in Palestine, which you submitted to the Parliament of Montenegro, contain?

Zirojević: The content of the Resolution most strongly condemns the indiscriminate bombing of civilians in the Gaza Strip, during which over 32,000 Palestinians were killed, including over 23,000 women and children. It calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately stop military actions and cease the act of aggression that is destroying numerous civilian, medical, religious, and other facilities and endangering the lives of over two million people living in the Gaza territory. It calls on the United Nations, the OSCE, and other relevant international organizations, other states, and especially EU and NATO member states to use all possible diplomatic, political, and economic means to deter Israel from further aggressive actions against the Palestinian people.

It calls on the Government of Montenegro and all political and social entities in Montenegro to condemn this act of aggression, the consequences of which could be immeasurable for world peace and security, and expresses the deepest sympathy with the people of Palestine who are currently facing the greatest challenges and suffering since the beginning of Israel's military aggression.


Patria: Given that every parliament has a procedural path, when could the resolution be before the parliamentarians?

Zirojević: The resolution is now formally in the parliamentary procedure, and the competent parliamentary committees are obliged to consider it as such within a reasonable period. Given that this now depends on the presidents of these committees, I believe that they will, as before, try to delay this procedure as much as possible, but considering that the regular parliamentary session is underway, there will not be much room for maneuver, and the Resolution should be before the committees relatively quickly. After the committees express their opinion on it, the Speaker of the Parliament is obliged to nominate it as an agenda item at the plenary session.

Patria: Did you offer anyone to jointly present the resolution, or do you expect political support for the adoption of the resolution?

Zirojević: I must admit that I was alone in this for a long time. Since the first protest rally in support of Palestine, where I believe I was the only MP who responded, there was no willingness for anyone to formally join the initiative for the Resolution.

Only after we were informed that the committees would not consider the Resolution, which at that time had the form of a petition with over 7,000 collected votes, did I publicly state that I was ready to sign it and put it into procedure for consideration, did a few individuals willing to speak publicly on this topic begin to come forward. To this day, the only one who has publicly stated that he will support the Resolution is the president of the Democratic People's Party, Milan Knežević, who has also called on others to do so.

Patria: You are known as someone who does not hesitate to tell the government what they deserve. You advised some previous actors in power to take sedatives before starting discussions, what is the situation with the current government, do they also need medical assistance?

Zirojević: It seems to me that the current government representatives would need similar therapy during Government sessions, given that they have become quite turbulent lately.

However, what worries me much more is the fact that, due to this way of running the country and the general situation in Montenegro, it seems that all of us collectively, and I don't mean just MPs, but all citizens in general, will need a handful of medications to get through the day and remain normal.

Patria: How did the current government react to the resolution on Palestine?

Zirojević: The current government, and especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, continues to behave as if nothing is happening in Montenegro.

They remained silent about the presence of high-ranking officials of parts of the government in Montenegro at the marking of the unconstitutional Day of RS.

They also remained silent about the extremely undiplomatic and inappropriate statements of two ambassadors, Serbia and the Russian Federation, due to which I initiated a control hearing of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which should be held soon.

They also remained silent about the arrival of Milorad Dodik on the anniversary of the commemoration of the crimes in Štrpci and the dangerous messages that were heard at the joint press conference he held here, in the Parliament building, with Andrija Mandić.

Likewise, the current government had absolutely no reaction to the Resolution on the condemnation of Israel's crimes in Palestine, nor did they find it necessary to familiarize themselves with its initiators, the Movement for Solidarity with Palestine, so it can be concluded that they, unlike the representatives of the previous government, seem to be overdoing it with this medical therapy.